Are you wanting to change a flooring space in your home but don't know what to do you? Nervous to try tiling yourself or don't want to spend the money to hire someone else? There are other options. These options are cheaper, quicker and easier.

Let's discuss these, shall we? I'm talking about painted stencil floor and peel & stick vinyl. Both of these are a current extra budget friendly trend and they are both great options to change your space.

I've done both, painted stenciled floors in our girls bathroom and peel & stick vinyl square tiles in our bath. I am here to tell you which method I prefer. Let's first talk about the pros and cons of both.

PROS

Vinyl Peel & Stick Flooring

Easy to Install

• Peel and stick vinyl {not to get confused with regular vinyl} is an easy install. You don't need any special tools for installation. Cutting is easy; just a score of a box cutter, bend and snap.

Quick Installation

• A small room can only take a few hours. Once you get moving, it goes quick.

Many Different Styles to Choose From

• You can choose from a range of looks designed to match your home.

Budget Friendly

• Depending on the style you choose, it can cost about $1 per sq ft, give or take some. For our small bathroom, we were able to change out the flooring for less than $100.

Can Go Over Existing Tile

• You don't have to worry about removing your existing flooring. The only thing you need to worry about is making sure it has a good cleaning!

Durable

• Peel and stick vinyl is a pretty strong material that does well with foot traffic and regular use. It also does well with water; there isn't a rush to clean up any water spills.

Painted Stencil Flooring

Many Stencil Designs to Choose From

• There are hundreds {if not more} different stencil designs that you can choose from. The possibilities are endless. Not to mention, you also get to choose the exact paint colors that you want. You have full control of your design.

Budget Friendly

• Depending on the size of your room, you could easily transform your space under $50

Can Go Over Existing Tile

• You don't have to worry about removing your existing flooring. The only thing you need to worry about is making sure it has a good cleaning!

Durable if Sealed Properly

• As long as you use a proper sealer, do enough coats, and allow time for each coat to cure in between, your floors will last a long time. We are currently going on 2 years in our bathroom and no problems yet {I do wipe up spills pretty quickly}.

• For daily cleaning, water is generally all that’s required. Added vinegar can help with a deeper cleaning.

Cons

Vinyl Peel & Stick Flooring

Get's Dirty Easily

• The square tiles have a textured surface that allows dirt to stick easily. Although clean-up and maintenance is relatively easy, there is a scrub factor to getting all the dirt out of those textures. For daily cleaning, water is generally all that’s required. Mild soaps can help with a deeper cleaning.

Looks Like Vinyl

• Especially with the square tiles, it looks like vinyl.

Painted Stencil Flooring

Time Consuming to Complete

• This project is definitely not a quick one. Not only does the actual stenciling take time and patience, but you also need to let each coat dry fully. And then once you get to the sealer, you want each layer to fully cure before you do another coat {I did 5 coats of sealer and waited 24 hours between each coat}. If you do this project, you want to be prepared with patience and wine.

Can Chip if Not Sealed Properly

• I have seen other people who have had the issue with it chipping over time. Luckily, we haven't dealt with that yet, but I am very persistent on wiping up the water pretty quickly.

Possibly not as Durable as Vinyl

• Because there is the possibility of chipping, the painted floors aren't as durable as the peel & stick vinyl.

Based on the above, all the pros lead to doing a vinyl. Having done both and now having to live with the vinyl stick getting dirty so easily {and the dirt sticking}, I would choose the painted stencil over the vinyl. Yes, the painted floors take a long time and require a lot of patience. We have had our painted floors for over 2 years with no issues and they look like tile. We have had our peel & stick vinyl for 4 months and they get dirty easily and you can tell they are a peel & stick.

Both are great options to make over a space on a budget. Both will make a big impact in your home on a budget. Now it's up to you to see which one you want to try in your home.

with love, andi